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W. S. SHERMAN. v

WORK ARRANGING CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.2, 1916.

1,315,994, PatentedSept; 1 1919.

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WORK ARRANGING, GONVEYER- APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. 1916.

"1,315,994. Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

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WORK ARRANGING Convmn. APPLICATION FILED- FEfB- Z. 1916.

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WILLIS S. SHERMAN, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

WORK-ARRANGING CONVEYER.

Application filed February 2, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS S. SHERMAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Work-Arranging Conveyers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention relates to conveyers for conducting strips of lumber or the like from one machine to another, as between a side matcher and an end matcher, and has for its object to provide for automatically arranging the strips of lumber on the conveying belt in a predetermined oblique position in such a manner that they do not interfere with each other when they are moved laterally off of the belt onto the feeding table of the machine to be fed.

The invention constitutes an improvement upon the conveyer mechanism covered by my co-pending allowed application No. 571,498, filed July 11, 1910, which resulted in Patent No. 1,192,832 issued July 25, 1916.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyer for strips of lumber or the like provided with a drop in its conveyer surface with a suitably driven cross belt extending thereacross to have the ends of the strips of lumber momentarily rest thereon as they fall at the drop in the conveyer surface, said cross belt serving to move the rear end of each strip toward one side of the conveyer whereby all of the strips on the conveyer will be given an oblique position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a gear casing separate from the frame of the conveyer adapted to be positioned on either side thereof while constituting a support for one end of the frame, the frame itself being symmetrically constructed so as $0 ble adapted for either a right or left hand eec.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the work arranging conveyer as herein claimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in the different views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conveyer Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

Serial No. 75,785.

constructed in accordance with this invention; 1

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; and,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In these drawings 10 indicates a conveyer frame standing on two legs at one end and supported at its other end by bottom brack ets 12 secured to a fixed rod 13 projecting from a gear casing 14 which is bolted to the floor. The frame at one end carries bearing sleeves 15 in which is journaled a shaft 16 carrying a pulley 17, anda conveyer belt 18 passes around this pulley and along the top of the frame to the other end thereof where it passes around a pulley19 mounted in an adjustable yoke bracket 20 secured to the end of the frame. From the pulley 19 the conveyer belt 18 travels around an idle pulley 21 on the rod 13 between the brackets 12 and then around a driving pulley 22 fixed on a driving shaft 23 which is j ournaled in bushings 24 of the casing 14.

The casing 14 is formed in half sections bolted together in a vertical plane. The bushings 24 for the driving shaft 23 as well as bushings 25 in which a shaft 26 is journaled are clamped in recesses between the half sections of the casing, these two shafts beingrgeared together within the casing by a large gear wheel 27 on shaft 23 meshing with a pinion 28 on shaft 26. A beveled gear wheel 29 is fixed on the shaft 26 and meshes with a beveled pinion 30 carried on the end of a shaft 31 which is contained within a flanged bearing sleeve 32 bolted to one end of the casingaround an opening provided for the admission of the shaft and its pinion. A similar opening on the opposite end of the casing as an alternative location for these parts is closed by a cover plate 33. The cover plate 33 and the flanged bearing sleeve are interchangeable according to whether the gear casing 14 is positioned on one side of the conveyer or the other.

Q11 the end of the shaft 31 is a broad pulley 34 around which a driving belt 35 passes for driving the machine from any suitable motor, or if more convenient, the belt may be connected with a pulley 36 on the projecting end of shaft 26, shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

The pulley 34 also has a belt 37' passing around it and this belt crosses the conveyer belt 18 above the pulley 17 at a somewhat higher elevation than the conveyer belt by traveling around idle pulleys 38 loosely mounted on studs 39 clamped on each side of the frame.

The cross belt 37 where it crosses the receiving end of the conveyer belt 18 preferably rests upon a supporting plate 40 which is bolted to a block 41 on one side of the frame.

A conveyer belt 42 delivers strips of lumber or the like to the conveyer belt 18 and the pulley 43 around which it passes preferably has its shaft 44 driven from the shaft 16, there being a chain 45 passing around sprocket wheels 46 and 47 on said shafts. The conveyer belt 42 has the strips of flooring or the like 48 of various lengths deposited thereon by the side matcher orother machine in position to travel longitudmally therewith and to be delivered thereby to the belt 18 at one side of the latter. The belt 42 being somewhat higher than the belt 18, the front ends of the strips will fall upon the belt 18 while the rear ends thereof remain upon the belt 42 and the travel of the strip will continue with the strip still in a longitudinal position with respect to the belts until its rear end in descending from the level of the belt 42 to the level of the belt 18 comes into engagement with the rapidly traveling cross belt 37 by which it is quickly swung to the other side of the belt 18 where it strikes against a stop 49 which is mounted on the frame alongside of the belt 18, the strip thus being thrown by the cross belt to an oblique position across the belt 18, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Whatever the length of the strip it is not affected by the cross belt until its rear end descends the pulley 43 and consequently the placing of the front end of the strip on the belt 18 is not affected by the cross belt. The degree of obliquity given to the strips will depend upon the length thereof, but whether the strips are two feet long or sixteen feet long their rear ends will be thrown far enough to one side to carry them out of the line of travel of the front end of the succeeding strip so that when the strips arrive at the end of the conveyer from which they are to be fed edgewise to another machine, as for instance an end Inatcher, they will not be arranged in end to end abutment even though detained by the stop 50 which extends across the con- Veyer belt .18, but will group together side by side in overlapping relation so that the end strip is entirely free from obstruction as it ismoved off of the belt 18 onto the feed table of the woodworking machine, a diagram representation of. whichis shown by dotted lines in Fig.2.

In order that the strips may not be crowded laterally oil of the belt 18 as they accumulate behind the stop all a guide strip 51 extending along the edge of the conveyer belt may be provided.

y means of this invention the feeding of the strips from the conveyer is greatly facilitated, the end strip, of whatever length, having a clear unobstructed passageway to the machine to which it is fed, it being understood of course that the lenglh of the conveyer is such that the longest strip when engaged by the stop 50 is clear of the stop 49. Even though the attendant may fall behind in his work of moving the strips from the belt 18 to the wood-working machine the strips will continue to be fed one behind another without end abutment and without a later strip projecting its ends between an earlier strip and the woodworking machine.

The entire conveyor is convertible so as to be arranged for either feeding the work from one side of the machine or from the other.

lVhile a cross belt is shown and described as the means for deflecting one end of each strip toward one side of the belt it is obvious that other means may be provided for this purpose, and while I have described the principle of operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I new consider to represent the best embodiment thereof to accord with the provisions of the patent statutes, I desire to have it 1111(l01r3l100ll that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a conveyer for conducting strips of material in one direction, of means for delivering strips to the conveyer lengthwise thereof and power operated means for acting on the strips momentarily at one point in the line of travel thereof while on the conveyer for arranging them obliquely across the conveyer in the same general oblique direction whereby the position of each strip is changed without changing its direction of travel.

2. The combination with a conveyer for conducting strips of n'iaterial, of means for delivering the strips to the conveyor with the strips extending lengthwise of the conveyer, and power operated means momentarily acting on the strips at one point of the travel thereof to move one end of each strip laterally in the same direction whereby the position of the strip is changed without changing its direction of travel.

3. The combination with a conveyer for conducting strips of material, of means for delivering the strips to the conveyer with the strips extending lengthwise of the conrveyer, means momentarily acting on the strips at one point of the travel thereof to move one end of each strip laterally in the same direction and a stop in the path of the strips for detaining them in overlappmg re lation.

1. In a conveyer, a traveling belt for conducting strips of material placed lengthwise thereon, and power operated means acting on one end of each strip for moving it to one side of the belt to position the strips obliquely across the belt one behind another without changing their direction of travel.

5. In a conveyer, a traveling belt for conducting strips of material in a single direcbelt and dropping them thereon, and means engaged by one end of the strips in their fall for deflecting said ends of the strips toward one side of the belt.

7. In a conveyer, a traveling belt for conducting strips of material, means for dropping strips of material on the belt, and means engaged by each strip in its fall for moving one end of the strip toward one side of the belt to position the strips obliquely on the belt.

8. In a conveyer, a traveling belt, means for delivering strips of material end first to the belt, said means being higher than the belt, and a suitably driven cross belt in position to be engaged by the rear ends of the strips of material as they fall from the delivering means to shift said rear ends of the strips of material toward one side of the belt.

9. In a conveyer, a traveling conveyer belt, a delivery belt for delivering strips of material thereto end first, said delivery belt being higher than the conveyer belt, and a suitably driven cross belt between the delivery belt and the conveyer belt and in position to be free from engagement by the front ends of the strips but engaged by the rear ends of the strips in their fall from the delivery belt and adapted to shift said rear ends of the strips toward one side of the conveyer belt.

10. In a conveyer, a traveling conveyer belt, a delivery means for delivering strips of material thereto end first, said delivery means being higher than the conveyer belt, a suitably driven cross belt between the delivery means and the conveyer belt and in position to be free from engagement by the front end of the strips but engaged by the 'rear end of the strips in their fall from the delivery means and adapted to shift said rear ends of the strips toward one side of the conveyer belt, and a stop at the side of the conveyer belt against which the end of the strip is moved by the cross belt.

11. In a belt conveyer, a frame having supports at one end and brackets near the other end, an independent gear casing adapted to be positioned at either side of the frame and having a rod passing therethrough adapted to project from either side thereof and passing through the brackets for supporting the end of the frame, a loose pulley mounted 011 said rod between the brackets, a suitably driven shaft in the casing carrying a drive pulley which may be positioned at either side of the casing, idle pulleys at the ends of the frame, and a con; veyer belt passing around the drive pulley, the loose pulley and the idle pulleys whereby the conveyer may be supported by and driven from the gear casing with the latter positioned at either the right or the left thereof.

12. In a conveyer, a frame having legs at one end thereof and brackets near the other end, an independent gear casing, a fixed rod thereon to which the brackets of the frame are secured, a loose pulley on the fixed rod between the brackets, a suitably driven shaft in the casing carrying a drive pulley, idle pulleys at the ends of the frame, a conveyer belt passing around the drive pulley, the loose pulley, and the idle pulleys, cross belt pulleys mounted at one end of the frame, a shaft journaled in the gear casing having a gear connection with the other shaft, a

pulley thereon, and a cross belt passing around the last mentioned pulley and around the cross belt pulleys and positioned above the level of the conveyer belt.

13. In a conveyer, a frame, a suitably driven conveyer belt thereon, a horizontal cross belt traveling at an angle to the direction of the conveyer belt and positioned above the level of the conveyer belt, and a plate secured to the frame and having the cross belt bear thereon.

14. In a conveyer, a frame, a suitably driven conveyer belt thereon, a shaft journaled at one end of the frame, a pulley thereon around which the conveyer belt passes, a suitably driven cross belt traveling at an angle to the direction of the conveyer belt and higher than the level of the conveyer belt, a delivery belt higher than the level of the cross belt, a pulley around which the delivery belt passes, a shaft therefor, and a chain and sprocket connection between the two shafts.

15. In a belt conveyer, having a cross belt for positioning material thereon, a frame having legs at one end thereof and brackets near the other end, an independent gear gear casing and adaptedto project on either side thereof to pass through the brackets in either position of the gear easing; a loose pulley on the rod between the braekets, a suitably driven shaft in the casing carrying a drive pulley adapted to be positioned on either side of the gear casing, idle pulleys at the ends'of the frame, a eonveyer belt passing around the drive pulley,the loose pulleyand the idle pulleys, cross beltxpulleys mounted at'one end of the frame, a

position of the gear casing.

In testimony whereof I alliX my signature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIS S. SHERMAN.

Witnesses:

'R. S. C. CALDWELL, KATHERINE HOLT.

Copies of this patent may be'obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

